The musical phenomena known as Shakes began in the late 1970’s when the Dunedin Sound was first being conceived. Sacked as bass-player in The Enemy for wearing white freezing works gumboots on stage (the legend) or leaving The Enemy because he thought he was a surfer rather than a punk (the truth), Shakes then formed the unforgettable snot-rock band The Terls. And in the process confirmed he was a surf-punk.
Shakes has never stopped playing since then – bands like Tomorrow’s Parties (in Auckland) Rhythm Cocktail, Tuatara, and then in Stingray, a 3 piece party band which recorded the long overdue Shakes album, released in 2004. By which time 3 new musicians were backing Shakes. All the new band surfed. Except Anthony, the smooth foreign lead guitarist who was brought up in the Canadian prairies, several days travel from the nearest beach.
He played the twangiest surf guitar this side of Redondo Beach and was initiated with a ritual near-drowning surf experience in the Catlins. But the Canadian Prairies beckoned again and Anthony departed… to be replaced by a kilt-wearing Scotsman from Arbroath called Ewan. The band’s spiritual home (apart for the beaches of Dunedin) is the South Coast Board Riders Clubrooms at St Clair, where they always reckon they play best to their home crowd. The new line-up has toured extensively – Venues large and small in central Dunedin and North-East Valley, the Surf Club at St. Clair, a barn at Osborne, the Town Hall in Port Chalmers, Invercargill and Oamaru. The new line-up recorded another album of new material which should be released some day…
http://www.myspace.com/shakestheswellguys